F I D O N E W S -- Vol.10 No.43 (24-Oct-1993)
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| A newsletter of the | |
| FidoNet BBS community | Published by: |
| _ | |
| / \ | "FidoNews" BBS |
| /|oo \ | +1-519-570-4176 1:1/23 |
| (_| /_) | |
| _`@/_ \ _ | Editors: |
| | | \ \\ | Sylvia Maxwell 1:221/194 |
| | (*) | \ )) | Donald Tees 1:221/192 |
| |__U__| / \// | Tim Pozar 1:125/555 |
| _//|| _\ / | |
| (_/(_|(____/ | |
| (jm) | Newspapers should have no friends. |
| | -- JOSEPH PULITZER |
+----------------------------+-----------------------------------------+
| Submission address: editors 1:1/23 |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Internet addresses: |
| |
| Sylvia --
[email protected] |
| Donald --
[email protected] |
| Tim --
[email protected] |
| Both Don & Sylvia (submission address) |
|
[email protected] |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| For information, copyrights, article submissions, |
| obtaining copies and other boring but important details, |
| please refer to the end of this file. |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
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Table of Contents
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1. Editorial..................................................... 2
2. Articles...................................................... 2
Area Codes are a Changin'!.................................. 2
The PRIME HOME_SCHOOLING Echo,.............................. 3
Separation of Church & State Echo Now Available............. 4
"Save Us From Ourselves Mr. Echomail Coordinator"........... 5
FlameNet - A must for all FidoNet SysOps!................... 7
Subj : Why I'm here......................................... 8
A call for votes............................................ 9
3. Fidonews Information.......................................... 10
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 2 24 Oct 1993
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Editorial
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Tolerance.
Sometimes, one gets their comeupance. I found myself,
this week, almost cutting an article. I wanted to. We all have
our sore spots, and I will admit that mine are hate literature,
violence, intolerance ... the mindset that says "I am
*RIGHT*, and you will admit it or I will ram it down your
throat."
When we were applying for this job, I remember a letter to
Tom Jennings. I am not sure which one of us said it, but the
effect was that the net allowed each to speak mind-to-mind
rather than face-to-face. That the net overrode colour, accent,
sex, physical deformities and all the other stupid impediments
to thinking of people as individuals. Tom replied that he liked
to think of the net as a roomfull of people, armed to the teeth,
but with no casualties.
Freedom of the press has a great disadvantage; a press is
an expensive beast, and freedom to use it in any form can only
work if everyone has access. That has not been the case
with the printing press, but it is far truer with a net like
Fidonet. The intolerances can only be fought if we can first hear
them, and we can then respond to them. Both are required.
There is an election this week in Canada. One of the
parties is campaigning on the premise of replacing the airforce
with a team of levitating yogi's. Crazy. But then, fifteen
years back, I remember two groups that campaigned on another basis.
Essentially, the idea was that each side got 10,000 or so atom
bombs. If the other side did not behave, then we all committed
suicide by aiming and pulling the trigger. Crazyness is relative.
We only get to choose when alternatives exist. Perhaps that
is the great reward of tolerance: that we give others, and
therefore ourselves, choices. I don't give a damn who is
*RIGHT*. I wanna fly.
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Articles
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Area Codes are a Changin'!
By Dave Blaser,
UFP BBS @ 1:221/401.0
Hello out there in FidoLand!
How are you all out there in FidoLand? Everything's just peachy
keen here in the wee igloo of Acton (home of the "famous" [HA!] Olde
Hide House).
I thought that for a change some of you might want to get away
from the daily worries of Censorship and Elections (we just had an
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 3 24 Oct 1993
election for the NC here in Net221, Congrats to Barry Redwood on
becoming the next NC of Net221) and anything else that may worry you
in your travels as a SysOp/User/Whatever in FidoNet and something I
noticed in FNews 42 struck an interesting thought.
Some of you, mostly those who live in Ontario, will have known
that Bell Canada has split area code 416 in two. All those people
who don't live in Metro Toronto now have the area code 905. This
occurred on October 4th, in the year of Our Lord Nineteen Hundred
and Ninety-Three (okay, a little too dramatic in the way I said it
but you get the picture). Now I've just got one small problem.
Some of the BBS' I call for mail have had their area code changed...
problem is, I don't know which ones. One question: are the NC's of
those areas who have had area codes (or even who have nodes who had
their area code changed) going to submit a new section into whomever
processes the nodelist and get everything fixed up, or are we just
going to have to edit our own nodelists manually and spend countless
hours doing that? Kind of a big request, but I'll even go to the
trouble of asking wether or not someone in Toronto or the surrounding
areas has a nodelist that is correct in area codes? And if so, can
I F'Req it from you? Good old Bell Canada is only going to be fixing
up the little problems like this for a short time.
Responses are both accepted and encouraged, either through the Snooze
or in the form of mail to my system..
Thanks guys!
Dave
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The PRIME HOME_SCHOOLING Echo,
Steve Winter
FidoNet 1:18/98
As you may or may not be aware, the moderator of the FidoNet HOMESCHL
echo has cut the feed to the PRIME network for her echo because I
posted about a practicing Sodomite public school teacher here in a
neighboring city (Chapel Hill, NC) who was giving explicit sexual
materials to his class that included even child/adult sex in
graphic detail. This has been front page news here in Durham, NC.
The moderator of HOMESCHL demands an echo where a Sodomite or witch
etc, can feel comfortable, an echo devoid of any standard of morality
or decency (or any referrence to such). That type of sub-canine
immorality is what has provided society with such things as AIDS,
openly Sodomite public school teachers, and scoutmaster child
molesters (read the news where they have dismissed 1700
scoutmasters for child molesting?))
If the terms "morality" or "decency" hold a positive meaning for
you, please keep reading.
I, though being an Apostolic Pentecostal (just basic true Biblical
Christianity) preacher, do believe that homeschooling needs to be
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 4 24 Oct 1993
regarded as a political rather than a religious issue.
HOWEVER, even as a political movement, basic foundational
principles of decency and morality must not be disguarded.
I think that the news of a Sodomite public school teacher passing
out pornography is "newsworthy" and should be considered by those
who are considering homeschooling.
If your interest in Home Schooling is in any way related to the
principles of morality and decency that the USA was founded upon,
you may wish to consider the HOME_SCHOOLING echo.
This echo is not yet on the backbone and would cost you a few
cents a week to pick up from 1:18/98.
Thank you for your time,
Steve Winter moderator/founder HOME_SCHOOLING 1:18/98@fidonet
ps. If you wish a feed to HOME_SCHOOLING, just send me a direct
netmail at 1:18/98 and BE SURE to pick a session and packet
password. Then just start polling as you wish.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Separation of Church & State Echo Now Available
by: Charles Sumner
1:2613/228
NEW "CHURCH AND STATE" ECHO
Recent activities by the religious right (and particularly
religious extremists) have caused a new interest in defining and
enforcing the principle of separation of church and state. To
facilitate discussion on this particular issue, a new echo is now
offered called CHURCH&STATE.
This is a forum particularly for discussion of the meaning of the
religious liberty clauses of the First Amendment. The actual
wording is "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment
of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The
arbiter of the meaning of these sixteen words is the Supreme
Court. However, there are groups which dispute the meaning. No
less a personage than the Chief Justice has disparaged the
Jeffersonian interpretation that the First Amendment created a
"wall of separation" between church and state.
Current battles are being fought to reintroduce government-
sponsored prayers and Bible readings, to allow tax funding of
religious schools, and even to declare this to be a Christian
nation. There are those who wish no mention of God, those who
think the church has no business in the affairs of the world,
those who would like to have their religious beliefs dominate a
pluralistic country.
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 5 24 Oct 1993
Those who are (or ought to be) concerned about how these issues
are decided are those in favor of reproductive rights, public
schools, democratic pluralism, sex education, environmentalism,
rights of homosexuals, civil liberties, and more. Others
concerned are those opposed to censorship of literature and the
arts, creationism as opposed to evolution, a prayer amendment,
stealth candidates, a religious test for public office, rhetoric
encouraging violence against abortion clinics, theocratic
government.
There are numerous groups advocating less separation between
church and state. The largest and best-financed of these is
undoubtedly the one calling itself the Christian Coalition. It
now claims 450,000 members and has as its goal a chapter in every
county. It has already taken over some 2000 school boards and has
considerable influence in the Republican Party, which it expects
to control by 1996.
If you are interested in getting the latest information on
these issues and are interested in getting involved, please
contact Phillip Dampier at 1:2613/228 to arrange for a feed
of the CHURCH&STATE echo. For a limited time, Phillip will
be sponsoring the conference pending its placement on the
Fidonet backbone. This will allow systems with 9600 bps or
higher to have immediate access to the conference at no
expense.
We hope you can help make this echo a success.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
"Save Us From Ourselves Mr. Echomail Coordinator"
by Phillip Dampier
1:2613/228
I decided not to reply to some of our comments I saw in response
to my original Fidonews article pertaining to echomail conferences
being removed from the backbone for "adult" content because I
assumed most people would have understood the fact that I was
speaking about the fact that sexual content is no longer the only
criteria used to eliminate what is considered "offensive."
Apparently some did not.
I'm not about to get into some morality contest about what I
feel is appropriate for kids to see. Everyone has different
standards and their standards apply only to their own family,
as far as I am concerned.
Several years ago, the sexually explicit/fantasy echos moved to
"othernets" like Adultlinks where ages can be verified before
access is granted. I have no problem with this and I consider
it a reasonable way of keeping echos devoted to sex fantasies
out of the hands of kids.
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 6 24 Oct 1993
My concern is that we've now moved beyond just removing
echos for "sexual content." Two weeks ago, BITCH was removed
from the backbone for violating someone's undefined standards
of "adult" content. This came, no doubt, after several
complaints from people who apparently weren't offended enough
to turn off what they can't stand.
It's the "Echomail Car Accident Syndrome" at play -- can't stand
to look but can't help looking anyway.
The point of my article was to demonstrate that such an undefined
concept of "adult echomail" could be used by an echomail
coordinator to remove almost anything that could be considered
offensive by a minority of nodes.
Justin's comments two weeks ago demonstrate clearly that my
concerns have merit. In his opinion, he's not sure whether
echos that pertain to homosexual and lesbian issues deserve a
place on the backbone because they might incite someone to
choose their sexual orientation.
This would be funny if it wasn't so ominous. Justin misses the
fact that homosexuals and lesbians have argued for years that
their sexual orientation is not a choice. After all, if given
a choice, would you choose to be hated by many, beaten by some,
and discriminated against en masse?
If Justin were in the position of determining what is and is not
appropriate for the national echomail backbone, he could easily
use the highly subjective rationale that conferences that pertain
to gay and lesbian issues are "adult in nature" and have them
removed.
Worst of all, those that make the decisions are appointed or
elected by a tiny minority within Fidonet. Individual nodes have
no say in who gets to play "Minister for Decency."
I don't need a Fidonet coordinator protecting me from myself.
I don't personally read BITCH. I turned it on for awhile and
found it puerile, adolescent, and completely irrelevent. I
exercised my freedom of choice by turning it off.
Apparently, some people who didn't like the echo couldn't just
turn it off themselves -- they wanted it turned off for EVERYBODY.
One reply to my original article suggested that conference
participants would be consulted before an echo was removed.
Guess again. No matter that dozens of nodes, who chose for
who knows what reason to carry the BITCH echo, wanted to keep
the echo -- it was removed anyway.
Folks, it's not over yet. The latest draft of Zone One
Echomail Policy suggests the creation of a moderator's appeal
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 7 24 Oct 1993
council to reign in those out of control conference
moderators from "going too far."
When it rains, it pours. Alas, we'll have to leave this to
another article.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
FlameNet - A must for all FidoNet SysOps!
By, Kyle Hufford, 1:110/655
FlameNet
This is an article about a new net started a few months ago called
FlameNet. FlameNet was originally started to rid our local FidoNet
areas in net 110 of all the "flame" messages. It has been somewhat
successful. All it is, basically, is a net based around flaming, and
echoes that allow handles, and have no rules. There are many echoes
that are available on different subjects from Clinton bashing, to
general debates and arguments. Some of the other echoes include
religious discussion, and even issues about abortion and sex. This
net has done net 110 in the Dayton, Ohio area a great service. There
are now half as many flame messages in our local Fido echoes.
Even though the net was started locally here in Dayton, it has since
spread throughout the country. The net is currently running in Ohio,
Indiana, North Carolina, Kansas, Missouri, and California. There are
many echoes available, and the net is expanding larger and larger
every day. Another nice thing about this net is it is not only
available through front end mailers. It is also available for boards
who send and recieve echo mail with .QWK packets.
If you are interested in recieving this net, FREQ the magic name
FLAME from Matt Grewe @1:110/740, or route mail to me, Kyle Hufford
@1:110/655 through node 1:110/150, and I will see to it that you get
a copy of the info. The net is set up with zone '69'. Just simply
fill out the application in the archive, and send it directly to Matt
Grewe, or send it to one of the state NC's in your state if there is
one. If you are not in one of the above mentioned states, you can
become the NC for your state if you so desire. Thank you for taking
the time to read this. Not only will it help get rid of flame
messages in other nets, it is also a lot of fun! Actually, it's not
all just flaming, there is some intelegent conversation every once in
a while!
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 8 24 Oct 1993
Call it a press release?
From: Bill Teasley (1:147/3660)
To: Editor (1:221/192)
Fido respect continues to grow as evidenced by the below
post (even if he can not spell YOKM's!).
Currently SCOTT CARTER, Media Relations for Oklahoma
Senate and MIKE RAY, representing the press for the Oklahoma
House of Reps have their own local echo, interact with users and
even use the local area for research (An open request for
comments regarding Search and Seizure laws is on the table at
this time).
Favourable talks are also underway with three other
state and two city level agencies. We look forward to Fido
compatable access to boom in the Oklahoma City area!
Bill Teasley, System Admin 1:147/3660
=================================================================
Forwarded by Bill Teasley (1:147/3660)
Area : OKGOV (OKGOV)
From : M.Scott, 1:147/3660 (11 Oct 93 13:55)
To : All
Subj : Why I'm here.
==================================================================
Since it seems that the fact the respective bodies of the
Oklahoma Legislature are now BBSing, and this has dawn a few
raised eyebrowns from Okla City's computer community, I though I
dispell any current (and future) myths.
My name is Scott Carter and I am a Media Infromation Officer
with the OKlahoma State Senate. Have been a computer nerd since
I was small enought to reach a keyboard, it seemed reasonable to
compbine both fields.
Bill, here at Daddy Yokams has been very helpful is working with
me and my counterpart, Mike Ray, a the House of Representatives
if working to deliver information to each of you.
Why?
To be honest, it's part of my job. And posting message here is a
lot easier that watching them be altered and rehashed through
the conventional press. My goal is to hopeful provide additional
access to the general public about their government. (State,
that is.)
I probably won't be able to answer each question you have, But I
can find someone who will.
Also, we won't be soliciting anything other than a response (if
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 9 24 Oct 1993
you feel so inclined).
If you have a specific question to a specific Senator, I'll see
that he or she gets it. Otherwise, the message will be answered
by me.
If you perfer a voice number mine is (405) 521-5698.
Thanks,
M. Scott
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A call for votes
From: Jim Northrup (1:2200/2112)
To: Editor (1:221/192)
My name is Jim Northrup and I run a mostly free gateway service
on a full feed usenet<->fido site.
For the past few nodelists, I have had the name "UUCP" in the
nodelist in the sysop feild.
I am apparently a first in this.
currently convention dictates a gateway only use a G (guucp)
flag in the nodelisting for a gateway.
Editor software using a nodelist must be made aware of this
usage for gateway messages addressed to "UUCP". No easy task.
Otherwise, one must break out list.com and find a GUUCP flag
manually.
Following a series of rude letters from "Software John", an NC
and Gateway host on the west coast, to myself, my NC (who was
highly annoyed with such rude personal address) and my RC (who I
get the impression from my NC really has little concern with
such squabbles), I have rescinded the listing configuration
pending word from Bob Satti; The only relevant political entity
that comes to mind.
I ask for an informal vote thru netmail.
Consider the usage of "UUCP" in the sysop name feild, when used
by many seperate sites in various regions of the nodelist,
providing a simple choice of gateways for use in an instant if
there be a nodelist lookup for the name "UUCP".
In my own eyes, this seems a very simple and straightfoward
solution to a pile of misdesigned solutions to a simple problem.
It only comes natural to do what's easiest (speaking for myself
only).
I ask carbon copy netmail (vote, comments) regarding this
offered dynamic to both me, and Software John, by the general
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 10 24 Oct 1993
populace reading this, not the political structure itself. I
have had no complaints from users or other sysops, only other
gateway operators who have no desire to fly "UUCP" in the name
feild of the nodelisting they offer.
send identical netmail to the two following concerned parties:
Jim Northrup 1:2200/2112.0 (native address)
yyz!jim 1:2200/3.0 (converted nodelist
gateway-postmaster address)
[email protected] (internet/UUCP address)
Software John 1:143/0.0 (my mailer receipt address in concerned
netmail) Software John 1:143/8.0 (gateway address in nodelist)
[email protected] (internet address given in netmail blasts)
A tally of all replies and a text file will be compiled of the
results of this poll. From here, I will base my further actions
and comments in this debate over what I fly in my nodelisting.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
========================================================================
Fidonews Information
========================================================================
------- FIDONEWS MASTHEAD AND CONTACT INFORMATION ----------------
Editors: Sylvia Maxwell, Donald Tees, Tim Pozar
Editors Emeritii: Thom Henderson, Dale Lovell, Vince Perriello,
Tom Jennings
IMPORTANT NOTE: The FidoNet address of the FidoNews BBS has been
changed!!! Please make a note of this.
"FidoNews" BBS
FidoNet 1:1/23
BBS +1-519-570-4176, 300/1200/2400/14400/V.32bis/HST(DS)
Internet addresses:
Don & Sylvia (submission address)
[email protected]
Sylvia --
[email protected]
Donald --
[email protected]
Tim --
[email protected]
(Postal Service mailing address) (have extreme patience)
FidoNews
172 Duke St. E.
Kitchener, Ontario
Canada
N2H 1A7
Published weekly by and for the members of the FidoNet international
amateur electronic mail system. It is a compilation of individual
FidoNews 10-43 Page: 11 24 Oct 1993
articles contributed by their authors or their authorized agents. The
contribution of articles to this compilation does not diminish the
rights of the authors. Opinions expressed in these articles are those
of the authors and not necessarily those of FidoNews.
Authors retain copyright on individual works; otherwise FidoNews is
copyright 1993 Sylvia Maxwell. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or
distribution permitted for noncommercial purposes only. For use in
other circumstances, please contact the original authors, or FidoNews
(we're easy).
OBTAINING COPIES: The-most-recent-issue-ONLY of FidoNews in electronic
form may be obtained from the FidoNews BBS via manual download or
Wazoo FileRequest, or from various sites in the FidoNet and Internet.
PRINTED COPIES may be obtained from Fido Software for $10.00US each
PostPaid First Class within North America, or $13.00US elsewhere,
mailed Air Mail. (US funds drawn upon a US bank only.)
INTERNET USERS: FidoNews is available via FTP from ftp.fidonet.org, in
directory ~ftp/pub/fidonet/fidonews. If you have questions regarding
FidoNet, please direct them to
[email protected], not the
FidoNews BBS. (Be kind and patient; David Deitch is generously
volunteering to handle FidoNet/Internet questions.)
SUBMISSIONS: You are encouraged to submit articles for publication in
FidoNews. Article submission requirements are contained in the file
ARTSPEC.DOC, available from the FidoNews BBS, or Wazoo filerequestable
from 1:1/23 as file "ARTSPEC.DOC". Please read it.
"Fido", "FidoNet" and the dog-with-diskette are U.S. registered
trademarks of Tom Jennings, and are used with permission.
Asked what he thought of Western civilization,
M.K. Gandhi said, "I think it would be an excellent idea".
-- END
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